Step into the Sauna to Lengthen Your Life

While stepping into a sauna is known as relaxing and good for your overall well-being, the time you spend letting off some steam could also help reduce the risk of developing heart problems, new research suggests.

Frequent use of saunas, at a longer lengths of time, was linked to a decreased risk of heart problems as well as a lower chance of mortality, according to according to a study by researchers in Finland and published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

For the study, researchers assessed health data that was collected for more than 2,300 men in Finland between the years 1984 and 1985. They then did a follow up with the study participants in 2011.

When it came to amount of time spent in saunas, the researchers, from the University of Eastern Finland, concluded that those who had more than four sauna sessions per week had the lowest risk of heart problems.

Health benefits of using a sauna include increasing heart rate as well as boosting sweat levels similar to performing light or moderate exercise.

The researchers noted that the study involved Finnish saunas specifically, which have very dry air and are between 80 and 100 degrees Celsius in temperature.